Pols 241- Exam #1
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absterooni on February 27, 2012
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48 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 What is comparative politics? | The study and comparison of domestic politics across countries |
| Why do we compare? | -It's human nature -"Keeping up with the Jones'" -"Without comparison, the mind does not know how to proceed" Alexis Toquille -To predict -To prevent -To find an ideal quality (if possible) |
| Who are the actors in comparative politics? | -States -Nations -International Organizations -Non-governmental organizations |
| What are the four qualifications to be considered a legal state? | 1. Defined territory 2. A permanent population 3. A government must be capable of maintaining external and internal sovereignty (national security and internal order; viewed as legitimate by the governed). 4. International recognition |
| What are the characteristics that are shared by a nation? (be able to list them) | -common language -shared history -common culture -shared ethnicity or race -shared religion -shared economy |
| The Comparative Method | Choose cases to compare; differentiate only one variable a. Classification/ Taxonomy b. Causation- if, then statements c. Prediction d. Prevention *Emphasis more on quantitative studies rather than qualitative |
| Classification/ Taxonomy | Theory and practice of grouping individuals into species, arranging species into larger groups, and giving those groups names, thus producing a classification |
| Causation | If, then statements |
| Prediction | To prevent or encourage certain actions |
| Prevention | using prediction in order to prevent certain actions |
| How does comparison help us in political science? | helps us to describe and understand different political institutions and be able to prepare and predict future outcomes |
| What are some of the CHALLENGES or DISADVANTAGES in comparative politics? | 1. you cannot have a control group - states vary 2. limited number of cases 3. limited access to cases 4. case selection cannot be randomized, selection bias |
| Three Techniques of Comparison | 1. Quantitative 2. Qualitative 3. a mix |
| Quantitative Comparison | statistical data analysis, large number of cases |
| Qualitative Comparison | case studies; small number of cases |
| A mixture of comparisons | Using statistical data analysis in a small number of case studies |
| What are some of the different ways of comparing countries (e.g. over time, etc.)? | -Studying two or more countries; such as particular institutions, political process or public policy over time |
| Constitution | A written record of a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed. |
| What is the purpose of a constitution? (know about out countries' constitutions as covered in lecture and in readings) | Constitutions limit absolute power by placing conditions on the use of power by requiring the sharing of power with those subject to it through a process of debate, and by est. boundaries by which the law cannot intrude |
| Nigeria's Constitution | - a monarchy sharing its ceremonial head of state with the United Kingdom and a number of other countries such as Canada. |
| China's Constitution | -highest law within the people's republic of china -5 sections |
| India's Constitution | -one of the world's longest, enshrining in writing the fundamental principals of Britain's unwritten constitutional order of parliamentary democracy. -Est. India as a federal republic, reserving significant authority for the state governments |
| Brazil's Constitution | -federal government of Brazil -enforces laws |
| Great Britain's Constitution | -magna carta -citizens owe alligiance to crown (represents rules and tradition of enforcing those rules) -3 NATIONS (England scotland and wales) |
| Why are constitutions important? What might they tell us about a country? | "government without a constitution is power without right" thomas paine 1. Monarchy or not 2. basic structure of government, presidential or parliamentary, how leaders are selected 3. How many houses in the legislature (unicameral or bicameral) 4. Federal or Unitary, or a confederal organization of the state |
| Unicameral | One-house legislature |
| Bicameral | composed of two legislative bodies |
| Federal | a central government but its powers are limited by sub-national units (states, provinces, regions, etc.) power divided and/or shared Government cannot take power away Vertical separation of power ex. Brazil, India, Nigeria |
| Unitary | One hierarchical government where power is centralized. National government can dissolve power and take back power ex. UK, China |
| Confederal | (Belgium?) There is a national government and subnational units where power is shared, but the subnational units have more power than the national government. |
| Constitutional | A political system that functions according to provisions of constitutions; written or uwritten |
| Non-constitutional | a system where there is very little respect or adherence to the provisions of the constitution |
| Codified | written down in a single document |
| Un-codified | not a single document (rare) ex. Israel, UK, and New Zealand |
| Presidential System | ex. Brazil, US, Mexico combines the roles of head of state and head of government in the office of the president. These systems feature a directly elected president who holds most of the government's executive powers PS have directly elected legislatures that, to varying degrees, serve as a check on presidential authority |
| Parliamentary System | ex. UK, India, Germany and Japan features an executive head of government (often referred to as Prime Minister) who is usually elected from within the legislature. The PM is the leader of the largest political party in the legislature The PM and the cabinet are charged with formulating and executing policy. |
| Separation of Powers | The clear division of power between different branches of government and the provision that specific branches may check the power of other branches (checks and balances) |
| Checks and Balances | A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power |
| History of Nigeria | -250 ethnic groups -16th-18th c. europeans settle along coast -1807 british declare slave trade illegal -1809 single islamic state -1959 democratic elections (north, east and west) |
| History of Brazil | 1850- Brazil bans slave trade -30 year depression in coffee production -For next 50 years Brazil struggled with governmental instability, military coups, and a declining econ. -Pedro I and Pedro II -Coffee was a main export -Fernando Collor de Mello 1989 corrupt |
| History of China | -long history going back to 4000 BC -1966-76- cultural revolution -Get rid of four olds (customs, culture, habits, and ideas) -1949-mao tse Zung lead communits to victory -Qin Dynasty- china ruled under 1 empire, political power centralized |
| History of India | -1610- British chased away the Portuguese & est. East India Trading CO. in Surat -1858- direct britain control |
| History of Great Britain | -British government is the oldest operating political system in the world. -Change has been evolutionary over 8 centuries -last revolution 1688 -English civil war between parliamentarists and royalists |
| Which countries were colonized? | India, Nigeria, and Brazil |
| Which countries were colonizers? | Great Britain |
| What happened after Independence of India? | 1948- became independent -created three separate states: India, Pakistan, and East Pakistan (aka Bangladesh) -Gandhi -Nehru, first PM of India -1966 Indira Gandhi -1984 Indira Gandhi assassinated by a sikh |
| What happened after independence of Brazil | 1822- became independent -Pedro I inherits throne -Brazil bans slave trade -Pedro II flees country -50 years of struggle |
| What happened to independence of Nigeria? | 1960- became independent -Suspended the constitution -Still many coups -Federal Gov. created -1976 General Olusegan Osanajo changes constitution creating an american-style presidential system |
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